Buying a used motorcycle can be either a joy or a truly horrible experience. It all depends on what you get and how much you get it for. There are certain kinds of motorcycles that also lend themselves well to a used purchase for different reasons: sport bikes depreciate a lot. But that is because the odds of them being ridden to within an inch of their lives are good. Small cruisers, on the other hand, don’t depreciate much because their owners tend to be a lot gentler with their more reliable bikes.
There are, however, certain brands that you can trust because of how reliable their products are and have been over the years. Honda is right at the top of that list – sometimes reliability is so important to the brand that it gives up performance for it. So buying a used Honda makes a lot of sense. Here are ten Honda motorcycles you should buy used.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from authoritative sources, such as Honda Powersports. They have been arranged by launch year to give the list some order. The stated prices are approximate prices and will vary depending on various parameters, including the current condition of the vehicle and the number of miles on it.
10 Vintage Japanese Bikes That Turn Heads Like Supermodels
These ten Japanese bikes will give any enthusiast whiplash when spotted. Here’s why.
Honda Dream CB750 Super Four
Launch Year: 1969
We start big, with the motorcycle that we owe modern sport biking to. The Dream CB750 Four was the one to show the world that a quick motorcycle need not be a temperamental one. It was the opposite, in fact; it was reliable, quick, smooth, and offered things like a disc brake that were unheard of before it. Like another Honda legend, the Super Cub, the CB750 Super Four took a different path, and it turned out to be the best path for absolutely everyone. Today, you can pick one up for as little as under $3,000, but well-cared-for examples can get up to well over $10,000.
Honda CBR900RR Fireblade
Launch Year: 1992
The Fireblade did exactly what the CB750 Four did, but two decades later. This time, it gave the world a different perspective on the sports bike. It showed that a sports bike needed to be quick around corners, not just while accelerating. It had a brilliant new chassis and braking that was unheard of – and a strange-for-the-time 16/17 inch wheel rim size. Yes, it retained Honda’s famed reliability as well. Today’s CBR1000RR retains a lot of the approachability of the original, but the world of sport bikes will always owe a debt of gratitude to the original CBR900RR. You can have the OG CBR for as little as a few thousand dollars, but good examples will cost you at least $15,000.
Honda NR750
Launch Year: 1992
The NR750 is a legendary motorcycle for many reasons. It was launched in the same year as the CBR900RR, but it wasn’t much like the Fireblade. The NR was a display of prowess. Honda has always been a giant as far as technology is concerned, and it is on full display with this model. The NR has an oval-piston V4, which is essentially a V8 engine. That means a total of 32 valves, and two titanium conrods per cylinder. It also had a carbon fiber body, magnesium wheels, inverted front forks, a digital instrument cluster, electronic fuel injection… the list goes on. The styling also inspired some of the most beautiful motorcycles in history. Small wonder that it is worth a whopping $100,000 today.
10 Powerful Sports Bikes From The 1980s That Are Dirt Cheap Today
If you are looking for a powerful motorcycle on a budget, one of these incredible sports bikes from the 80s might be for you
Honda VF750C Magna
Launch Year: 1994
The Magna was a V4-powered sporty cruiser launched in the 1980s, but the VF750C Magna was launched in 1994. It had the Interceptor sport tourer’s engine, but with a different firing order for better torque. Besides the performance, it was also fitted with a close-ratio six-speed gearbox, which wasn’t usual for the time. It was a very distinctive motorcycle, with the most noticeable design feature being the quad exhausts. It is rare to find one for sale today, since it was a very particular motorcycle that needed to be ridden more like a sports bike than a cruiser to extract maximum fun from it, but you can have one for a reasonable amount.
Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird
Launch Year: 1996
The CBR1100XX had one job: become the fastest bike in the world. It did just that, putting the Kawasaki ZX-11 in its mirrors with a top speed of just over 188 miles per hour. It was a large-capacity sport bike more in the image of the Hayabusa than the Fireblade. It didn’t make nearly as much power as one would expect from a Honda sport bike with this sort of displacement, but Honda paid particular attention to its torque delivery in line with its being a sport tourer. Today, this motorcycle, which was the fastest motorcycle in the world for three years, can be found for as little as $3,400, although good examples can run up to $5,000.
Honda GL1800 Gold Wing
Launch Year: 2001
The Gold Wing has ruled the Japanese full-dress tourer segment for decades, and it still goes strong today. The fifth-generation Gold Wing was the first one with six cylinders, which gave it the unique smoothness we associate with it today. Of course, you’ll get quite a lot of creature comforts with it. The base Gold Wing from the early 2000s has a typical listing price of around $7,800, but it is worth the while to seek out one with ABS, and fork out the extra $1,000 that you’ll have to pay for the safety. If you want something more modern, you can have one that is five years old for under $15,000.
10 Powerful Cruiser Bikes From The 2000s That Are Worth Buying Today
These powerful cruisers from the 2000s cost as low as
Honda VFR800 Interceptor VTEC
Launch Year: 2002
The VFR800 Interceptor was an extremely interesting motorcycle. It had a DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder engine, but at low revs, only a single intake and exhaust valve per cylinder was operated. At 7,000 RPM, the computer would instruct the remaining two valves to start operating, giving it the characteristics of a four-valve head at high revs. This was amazing tech for the early 2000s, and only recently have motorcycles been fitting intake valves with variable valve timing. You can have this premium sport tourer – it had an aluminum twin spar frame, a single-sided swingarm, adjustable suspension, and optional ABS. Happily, the ABS doesn’t add too much to the asking price, taking the typical listing price from $4,200 to $4,600.
Honda Valkyrie Rune
Launch Year: 2004
The Valkyrie Rune is what happens when you give the designers a blank check and sit back to watch the fun. For context, the Valkyrie was the cruiser version of the Gold Wing tourer, and the Valkyrie Rune was a factory custom cruiser based on the Valkyrie. Only it wasn’t just paying lip service to the concept; this is a true custom motorcycle with handmade parts (a pain to source). But even 20 years later, it will make heads turn. The typical listing price is under $18,000, but the price of admission here is usually a lot steeper than that, with Runes frequently changing hands for around $25,000.
Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
Launch Year: 2004
Today’s CBR1000RR can seem like a bit of a stepchild, with Honda not giving it updates for a while. It is also among the least powerful of the liter sport bikes, and while that is really bad for marketing, it means that it is a great first motorcycle if you’re stepping up to the segment. The one we’re talking about here is the first of the CBR1000RRs, which was a big step forward from the CBR954RR. It got things like an electronic steering damper, a cassette-type gearbox, a ram-air system that was computer-controlled, and a fuel tank designed to centralize the Fireblade’s mass. Today, the typical listing price is around $6,000, but a pristine example with the iconic Repsol Honda livery can easily command a price of well over $20,000!
10 Powerful Sports Bikes From The 2000s That Are Dirt Cheap Today
By the 00s, the superbike race had reached fever pitch, with fantastic offerings from every major manufacturer
Honda CB1000R
Launch Year: 2008
Honda’s 1,000 cc naked bike range is a little confused of late, what with the CB1000R Neo Sports occupying space alongside the more affordable and value-driven CB1000 Hornet SP. However, we’re talking about the model that predates both these models. This CB1000R was launched globally in 2008, but only made its way Stateside by 2011. This has the same engine as the Fireblade we’ve talked about before, but retuned for better torque. As a result, you can let go of the clutch lever at under 2,000 RPM without fear of stalling. The looks will turn heads even today, too; it is distinct, aggressive, and not difficult to see where the current liter Hornet got its good looks from.